Convection and Mantle: Online Content, Practice and Quiz

When the heat source is removed from a fluid, convection currents in the fluid will a. speed up. b. change direction. c. eventually stop. d. continue at the same rate forever. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

C

When you touch a hot plate, the transfer of heat from the plate to your hand is called ______.

Conduction

Give an example of each of the types of heat transfer.

Conduction: burning your hand on a hot stove, radiation: warming yourself near a fire, convection: heating up a mug of cocoa.

In the mantle, heat is transferred as soft rock flows slowly in cycles known as ______ currents.

Convection

In which layers of Earth do convection currents occur?

Convection currents occur in the mantle and the outer core.

What causes the convection currents in the mantle?

Cooler rock near the top of the mantle begins to sink as rock that was heated near the bottom of the mantle begins to rise.

The transfer of energy through empty space is called a. conduction. b. convection. c. radiation. d. subduction. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

C

Heat transfer within a fluid takes place by a. convection currents. b. radiation. c. conduction. d. density. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

A

Scientists believe that differences in ____ cause hot, plastic-like rock in the asthenosphere to rise toward Earth's surface. a. density c. weight b. magnetism d. composition Please select the best answer from the choices provided

A

Describe the convection currents that occur inside Earth.

Earth's hot core and mantle provide a source of heat that drives convection currents in the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is a layer of the upper mantle that can flow very slowly. The soft, plastic material of the asthenosphere slowly rises, spreads out, and pushes cooler material out of the way. Then the cooler material sinks back through the asthenosphere. These convection currents have flowed inside Earth for billions of years.

Convection currents in the Earth's crust cause volcanoes.

False

Mantle material rises in convection currents because heated materials become more dense.

False

The transfer of heat by the movement of heated fluid is called conduction.

False

How is heat transferred through space?

Heat is transferred through space by radiation.

What do you think will happen to the convection currents in the mantle if the interior of Earth eventually cools down?

If Earth's interior cools down, the convection currents in the mantle will stop.

Describe the asthenosphere.

The asthenosphere sits between mesophere and lithosphere. It is 700 km (430 mi) and is a plastic like layer.

Convection currents affect the movement of plates on the Earth's crust.

True

Compare the heating in the mantle to a cooking pot of soup.

The convection currents in the mantle are very similar to cooking a pot of soup. When a pot of soup is placed on a stove, the soup at the bottom of the pot is heated. As the soup warms up, it rises to the top of the pot. The cooler soup is more dense than the warm soup and begins to sink. This soup is then heated, and the process repeats. The same process occurs in the mantle, as material near the bottom is heated and begins to rise.

What are the three type of heat transfer?

The three types of heat transfer are convection, conduction, and radiation.

What are the layers that make up the upper mantle?

The upper mantle is made up of lithosphere (sial and sima), asthenosphere (molten river rock), and mesophere.

What is the main difference between the two layers of the mantle?

There are very small differences between the two layers. The upper mantle has Olivine (a very special rock), compounds with silicon dioxide, and a substance called Peridotite. The lower mantle is more solid than the upper mantle.

What happens to the density of a liquid that is heated?

When a liquid is heated, the density decreases.